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Food and drink businesses in Wales are being urged to plan for Brexit by Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths and Andy Richardson, chair of the Food and Drink Board Wales.

They will caution food and drink businesses to prepare for a wide range of challenges after Brexit, regardless of whether they export to the EU or not, in a joint letter being issued to businesses today.

Challenges and changes could include access to raw materials, regulation, currency movements, cash flow and tariff policy.

The joint letter signposts where businesses can seek advice, guidance and support and sets out eight ways businesses can prepare for the UK leaving the EU on 31 October.

Sources of advice include the Welsh Government’s Business Wales website, the Business Wales helpline, the Preparing Wales website and the Cywain Project.

Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths said:

We are strongly urging food and drink businesses to prepare in every way they can ahead of the day the UK is scheduled to leave the EU on 31 October. 

There is a raft of support, guidance and information available that can assist with the challenges confronting them in the aftermath of Brexit.

It is important they realise they could be effected regardless of whether they trade with the European Union or not, as there are likely to be a host of issues, some of them they might not have expected, to deal with.

We’re in this together and that’s why we’ve teamed up with the Food and Drink Board for Wales, so we can support businesses in every way we can as we prepare to leave the EU.

Andy Richardson, chair of the Food and Drink Board for Wales, said:

As things stand the UK will leave the EU after 31 October. All Welsh food and drink businesses will be affected in some way and I want everyone to understand these impacts now and be as well prepared as possible. 

I understand that planning for Brexit can be vexing and a major distraction for many businesses, particularly smaller enterprises, but it has to be done otherwise businesses may suffer. 

Help is at hand with the advice highlighted in our joint letter, but you must act now to minimise the impact on your businesses. Think of planning for Brexit in 4 stages – supply chain, regulation, financial and advice.

None of us know the outcome of Brexit, but that’s no excuse for not planning.

Halen Mon, The Anglesey Sea Salt Company, is one of the businesses preparing for Brexit. The firm, which was established in 1996 and has a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) for Anglesey sea salt/Halen Mon, has taken a thorough look at its supply chains and tried to mitigate any adverse effects on its business. 

Alison Lea-Wilson, who runs the company, said:

The EU is really important to us, not just for trade but for the PDO too.

She has urged other businesses to prepare in every way they can:

Look at your ingredients and packaging, don’t forget about your machinery. Check potential tariffs and labelling requirements. 

There is a lot of information out there; it’s just having the time and inclination to look at it.

Nerys Edwards runs Syren Shellfish, a Pembrokeshire-based seafood company which buys live produce from approximately 50 fishers based in Wales, from Aberystwyth to Swansea.

Through the advice she has gained from Brexit-preparation websites, she believes her company is now ready for the changes that leaving the European Union could bring.

When you’re loading live shellfish, you’re very, very time-critical,” she said. “I’ve employed another staff member to enter the information from a remote office, which I can’t do when I’m landing on the quayside in the pouring rain, trying to do figures, grade fish, and get them loaded.

I take a photo of each fisher’s invoice, and send them to her by WhatsApp, so that she can upload them onto the computer and create the UK Catch Certificate. This then means I can get my Export Health Certificate, and my lorry can leave the quay.

She added about the advice available:

I know it’s time-consuming but it’s surprising, once you actually sit down and get your head around it all, it takes a bit of pressure off, because you know you’ve done your best to get ready.

Minister Lesley Griffiths added:

Halen Mon and Syren Shellfish have done brilliantly well ensuring they are prepared for the future, but we need others to follow in their lead so businesses can rely on the supply chain in their respective industry.

8 ways businesses can prepare for Brexit

1. For support and guidance check out the Business Wales Brexit Portal
2. Get advice from the Business Wales Helpline by phoning 03000 6 03000.
3. Keep up to date with developments by following the Business Wales Twitter account @_businesswales
4. Sign up for the Food and Drink Wales digital newsletter 
5. For personalised advice contact the Cywain Project cywain@menterabusnes.co.uk
6. For the most up to date guidance about changes for business across a wide range of industries visit the Preparing Wales website
7. For additional information including about new certificates needed visit Gov.UK's  Brexit guidance and preparing for changes at the UK border pages
8. Workers from the EU will have until  31 December 2020  to apply for settled status. More information about the scheme is available at the Preparing Wales website